The time has come for the famous stage and its nine cobbled sectors, which promise, dare I say it, a "battlefield". It all starts in Ypres, Belgium, a city notorious for the gas attacks launched in it. It would have been unacceptable for the Tour not to commemorate the Centenary of the start of World War I in its own way... However, we will focus on the race, which promises to be a spectacular showdown. I do not expect Froome to thrive on the cobblestones but, who knows, he may want to prove us wrong... For him and many others, this is a stage riddled with dangers. The cobblestones will be a hinge moment in the race.

Terpstra got the win in Roubaix, but that was from hiding in wheels, being a bit lucky, and just not being all that marked. I'd love to see him do it today, but I think he's just going to be too watched to pull it off. Sagan is a potential, but I think Cancellara will have the best chance today, he's been keeping his efforts low, especially compared to Sagan. I'm hoping for a minimal amount of crashes...

Getting things into perspective, it is a lot shorter than P-R, and only 15k of cobbles as opposed to 50k (is it enough to blow the stage apart?) Should still be a pretty thrilling stage though and I reckon almost certainly a change in yellow.

OPQS will be well up for this one. Cancellara and Sagan too. Be interesting to see if some of the classics guys who have a GC rider in their team will be let off the leash (Greg VA at 2 seconds down could be a contender, and will Belkin be too busy looking after Mollema?)

Good to see Froome looking ok...

Edit...

BTW: the last wet Paris-Roubaix was in 2002, 190 starters, 41 finishers.

Not really surprising in a one day race though, if it's grim and you've got no chance of a decent placing, then just quit. Bit like the last worlds really. Won't happen in a GT.

It will be crashtastic. At least at P-R the field has thinned a bit on the Pave, but here there will be almost a full field hitting the Pave. I've ridden a PR sportive in rain like that. Off the crown lurks all sorts of hidden dangers in the puddles.

Anyway for Froome, with a possible stress fractured wrist, what could possibly go wrong?

Two cobbled sectors removed from the route
Due to bad weather and road conditions, two cobbled sectors have been removed from stage 5. They are sector 7, the 1,000-metres stretch of cobbles at Mons-en-Pévèle, and sector 5, which is the 1,400-metres long portion from Orchies to Beuvry-la-Forêt. It takes the total of pavés sections down to 13 kilometres but the race will remain highly attractive!

Spartacus - "I've already been asked if I'll ask for the stage to be neutralised if it rains but this is different. I know that it’s not a nice stage for Froome, Contador, Nibali and even our GC [general classification] riders. But my reply is: so why not take out the climbs to make it easier for us? That never happens, so it's only right we race on the cobbles. It’s a risk for everyone, including me, but we've got to live with it and calculate the risks involved."

Quite right too. If they don't like the cobbles they could've stayed at home.